A League of Their Own
I may have missed a thread somewhere along the line, so please forgive me if this comes as nothing new.
Based on the popularity of football and fantasy football leagues, even on the WHF forum, I was wondering whether anyone has given thought to a new or at least alternate format for the WHF Buyer's Guide? Each category (amps, speakers, cables, etc) could have league tables, with the equivalent of Premier League, Championship, and so on.
This could give those items that are said to ‘punch way above their weight' to sit among costlier models and vice versa, and for pieces of kit to slide down the rankings as fortunes change. It might provide an easier, at-a-glance comparison (though never a replacement for proper auditioning) and even a degree of further entertainment and source for lively debate. Head To Head tests and similar exercises could be seen to have real results as the tables change month by month - maybe even a few relegations? 
Yes, plenty of details to work out, but maybe the germ of an idea? Who knows? Maybe the 5-star system could be replaced by points (and the top flight components go on to challenge in Europe! 
)
It was certainly something that intrigued me way back when I purchased my KI Signature: if it was so good at c.£500 just where did it sit among those more expensive pieces of kit it was claimed to rival?
This is exactly what Andrew has been waiting for.....
Jeee, you don't miss much Andrew do you?
Can't even get me jokes in quick enough
Torres09:This is exactly what Andrew has been waiting for.....
Is that a good thing?
Andrew Everard:So which amp is Geena Davis? Which one Madonna? And which Rosie O'Donell?
Uh-oh, I sense this one degenerating already!
ESP2009:Uh-oh, I sense this one degenerating already!
Too tricky. Most hi-fi and home cinema gear tends to be more competent, and certainly more reliable, than football teams. Which are the stereo amps that don't like it up 'em? Whose speakers are OK in possession but can't defend set-pieces? Where are the Blu-ray players hamstrung by their managers' conservative approach and willingness to settle for a draw? Whose TVs are decent down the middle but poor at corners? Well, that'd be Sony, but you take my point...
Mind you, I can think of a few MP3 players that equate almost exactly to Tottenham Hotspur.
Andrew Everard:So which amp is Geena Davis? Which one Madonna? And which Rosie O'Donell?
An interesting question and one you could have real fun with. How do hifi enthusiasts characterise their favourite pieces of kit? Is there a DALI Hannibal Lektor out there? 
Simon Lucas:Too tricky. Most hi-fi and home cinema gear tends to be more competent, and certainly more reliable, than football teams. Which are the stereo amps that don't like it up 'em? Whose speakers are OK in possession but can't defend set-pieces? Where are the Blu-ray players hamstrung by their managers' conservative approach and willingness to settle for a draw? Whose TVs are decent down the middle but poor at corners? Well, that'd be Sony, but you take my point...
Mind you, I can think of a few MP3 players that equate almost exactly to Tottenham Hotspur.
"Nice one, Cyril!"
Simon Lucas:Where are the Blu-ray players hamstrung by their managers' conservative approach and willingness to settle for a draw?
That'll be the claret and blu-ray players, with a Midlands accent, won't it?
So which amp is Geena Davis? Which one Madonna? And which Rosie O'Donell?
Consulting Editor, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision/whathifi.com Audio Editor, Gramophone